Going back a couple pages, "One-Winged Angel" is awesome, but I prefer the Final Fantasy VII Reunion Tracks version by far. It doesn't have the metal guitar arrangement, which I find distracting from the beauty and power of the more classical arrangement has. The metal version is actually quite irritating to me. I even like the beepy synth version from the original game better.

Reunion Tracks is basically just a significantly condensed version of the full soundtrack, except three tracks have been fully orchestrated, and if you rewind past the beginning of the first track on some copies, an instrumental (without chorus) version of OWA will play. Here's the Reunion Tracks version with the chorus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBnBmLuR ... 1&index=12

I rarely sing Bananaphone anymore, but I still sing Tutti Frutti frequently. I wonder if that song will ever get old?

I love screaming electric guitar in orchestral music. I've been a fan of the transiberan orchestra since I was little, and their best use it. (Look up Christmas eve in Sarajevo if you're interested.) I suppose it appeals to my "throw out the rules" side, electric guitar seems like something that should never be in an orchestra, but I find they go together pretty well actually. (Like french fries dipped in a milkshake, it's awesome, I'm serious.) I don't find that the guitar over powers it, it might if it was randomly thrown into a piece, but if it was composed with a guitar part from the beginning, leaving it out makes the song sound like there's a big gaping whole in it. The focus of a painting may detract from the wonderful details, but you shouldn't rip it out. (For one thing security would get mad at you and kick you out, and then the museum would sue you for the damages, wait, I guess that's who things, hmm...)

Obviously it's nothing but synthesizer and vocals, but there's still no "guitar" synth patch, electric or otherwise, in there at all, nor any other instrument that lines up with the guitar part in the AC version.

Interesting. Still sounds like it's missing something to me though. Maybe it's simply because I heard the one with the guitar first. I think it sounds a lot better with it. It makes it sound more... actiony.

*Is somewhat embarrassed for not doing proper research before posting, but would like to add that it wasn't randomly thrown in, but very carefully thrown in. They didn't simply replace a part with it, but wrote an additional complementary one,that I find completes the piece. *

Maybe if the guitar wasn't so loud, with the orchestra so quiet. If it was mixed differently, perhaps I'd like it more.

Nobuo Uematsu, the composer, has said that he always considered it a rock song, even before the drums and electric guitar. The opening notes, he has said, were inspired by Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze", incidentally.